WORLD NO.1 GORST KNOCKED OUT IN DRAMATIC DAY OF UPSETS | 2026 ROOBET EUROPEAN OPEN POOL CHAMPIONSHIP
World No.1 Fedor Gorst suffered a shock defeat to Arseni Sevastyanov as a wave of major upsets swept through Day Four of the 2026 Roobet European Open Pool Championship, with several top contenders crashing out as the tournament’s Last 16 lineup was confirmed.
Taking place in the heart of Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, the 2026 Roobet European Open Pool Championship returns for its fifth edition at the iconic Hotel Hills from 10–15 March, bringing six days of non-stop nine-ball action on the World Nineball Tour.
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Despite cruising through his Last 64 match with a dominant 10–2 victory over Gentjan Gega, Gorst’s campaign came to a dramatic halt in the following round against Finland’s Arseni Sevastyanov.
Sevastyanov stormed into a commanding 6–0 lead against the World No.1, setting the tone for the contest early. Gorst attempted to mount a comeback, but the deficit proved too large to overcome as Sevastyanov held his nerve to secure an impressive 10–6 victory.
Reflecting on the biggest win of his tournament so far, Sevastyanov said: “I feel happy with the win, but the job isn’t finished yet. For me, Fedor is just another player in the draw — it’s just another match that I needed to win. I focused on playing my game and keeping a good rhythm at the table. I’m not surprised by the result. If I can beat one great player, I know I can beat anyone in this field. My goal is to win the title, and this week would be the perfect place to do it.”
Gorst’s exit was part of a dramatic day that also saw several top stars eliminated from the event, including 2022 European Open champion Albin Ouschan, former World Champion Niels Feijen, Pijus Labutis, Jonas Souto, and hometown favourite Sanjin Pehlivanovic.
Pehlivanovic’s run came to an emotional end following a tense hill-hill battle with Britain’s Imran Majid. The Bosnian fought hard to recover from an early deficit, but ultimately fell just short in front of the passionate home crowd.
Pehlivanovic said: “It’s really tough to go out like this, especially playing in front of my home crowd. I wanted to go further in this tournament for them. Unfortunately the balls didn’t quite roll my way and my break wasn’t working the way I needed it to. Credit to Imran — he deserved the win. Now it’s time to reset, learn from this, and prepare better for the next event.”
Meanwhile, defending champion Joshua Filler continued to look formidable as he booked his place in the Last 16. The German star dispatched Ernesto Gjoni and Yannick Pongers in convincing fashion to keep his title defence firmly on track.
Filler said: “I feel amazing. Coming in as the defending champion is never easy because it naturally brings more pressure, but I enjoy that pressure. I felt like I was doing a lot of the right things out there today, although there’s still room for improvement. In both matches I played pretty well overall — there were a few mistakes and misses, but I’m still really happy with my performance.
“I’ve never played Mika before, but I know him. He plays at a similar pace to Yannick, so I’ll have to be careful tomorrow. For me it’s about focusing on my own game and doing what I need to do at the table. I believe in my ability to get the job done.”
Waiting for the defending champion in the Last 16 is 19-year-old Dutch rising star Mika Van Berkel, who enjoyed a breakthrough day at the tournament.
Van Berkel produced two impressive victories, first defeating two-time World Champion Thorsten Hohmann before overcoming Italy’s Daniele Corrieri to become the first player to secure a place in the Last 16.
Van Berkel said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to reach the Last 16. It’s my deepest run in a Matchroom Major so far, so I’m really proud of that. Thorsten is an icon in our sport and it was unfortunate to see him scratch on the final rack, but I’m still happy with the way I played in both matches.
“Two years ago I played my first Matchroom Junior event in the UK and finished runner-up, so it’s great to see how much I’ve progressed since then. Whatever happens tomorrow, I’ll be proud of how I performed this week.”
With the Last 16 now set, the race for the European Open crown intensifies as the remaining contenders prepare for the decisive stages of the tournament, with the 2026 champion set to be crowned this Sunday.
The Last 16
Arseni Sevastyanov vs Mario He
Wiktor Zielinski vs Oliver Sznolnoki
Mohammed Soufi vs Naoyuki Oi
Mika Van Berkel vs Joshua Filler
Francisco Sanchez Ruiz vs Duong Quoc Hoang
Robbie Capito vs Moritz Neuhausen
David Alcaide vs Kledio Kaçi
Can Salim vs Eklent Kaçi
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